Know Your Rights – Working in Ontario

Recruitment Fees are Illegal!

It is illegal for anyone to charge you a fee for finding or trying to find you a job as a live-in caregiver. This includes recruiters, recruitment agencies, and your employer. See our fact sheet for what to do, and how to make a claim.

Minimum Wage

$14 per hour (as of January 1, 2018). Because of the amazing organizing efforts of workers just like you, the minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour on January 1, 2019, and will thereafter undergo an annual CPI increase on October 1st every year. See http://15andfairness.org/ for more info!

Hours of Work

Maximum of 8 hours per day (For you to work more than the daily limit, your employer must have your written agreement.)

Maximum of 48 hours per week (For you to work more than 48 hours in a week, your employer must have your written agreement and an approval from the Ministry of Labour.)

Overtime Pay

Overtime pay after 44 hours per week = 1.5 x your regular hourly rate

Deductions

Under the new Caregiver Program introduced on November 30, 2014, you cannot be charged room and Board. If you are still on an LMIA under the Live-In Caregiver Program, you can only be charged the following amounts:

Maximum deduction for room $31.70/week

Maximum deduction for meals $53.55/week (or $2.55/meal)

Maximum deduction for room and meals $85.25/week

Vacation Pay

After working for 1 year, you are entitled to 4% vacation pay for every dollar you earned over the past year or two weeks of paid vacation.

Termination pay

After you have worked for 3 months, they must give you a written notice if your job ends or termination pay instead of notice

Public Holidays

Did you know that your employer has to pay you extra if you work on a holiday, or give you the option to choose another day to take off as your holiday pay day? For more information, please see the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s website.

Mission and Vision

The Caregivers’ Action Centre’s mission is to educate, inform and inspire caregivers.

The organization envisions to work collectively and in unison until all caregivers are treated with respect, fairness and dignity.